Suburban dining.

Intimate La Mia Dolce Needs To Improve Consistency

April 17, 1998|By Barbara Sullivan. Special to the Tribune.

It wasn't too many years ago that downtown Wheaton offered virtually nothing in the way of restaurants. There were a couple of ultra-casual spots for grabbing a quick breakfast or sandwich, but dinner dining meant going elsewhere.

But then two former Sante Fe Railroad employees, Gary Kent and Dan Littell, came in and opened their Front Street Cocina, which enjoyed instant popularity with the dinner (and lunch) crowd, with such offerings as burritos and margaritas. The Wheaton Restaurant remodeled (and changed its name to Cafe Wheaton), offering customers a far more attractive environment, plus alcoholic beverages and a more sophisticated menu. And then Kent and Littell opened a second Wheaton location (they also have a restaurant in Naperville), this time turning their attention toward the ever-popular Italian cuisine.

La Mia Dolce, located across the street from the Wheaton Theater (where movies cost only $2), is an airy, attractive spot with brick walls, a green tin ceiling and ample room between tables. A large mural of an Italian scene adds interest and color to one wall. Although it's basically one big room, an air of intimacy is created by painted dividers that give the impression of several smaller eating areas. A roomy bar area, with counter stools and a half dozen tables, provides space for those waiting for a table or just wanting a glass of wine.

It has great location and good atmosphere -- now, all La Mia Dolce needs is to be more consistent in the quality of its food and service.

Our service was friendly but very slow the night we were there, even though the restaurant was only moderately busy. And while most of our food was quite good, other dishes were disappointing.

The complimentary basket of warm bread that arrives with a saucer of olive oil mixed with parmesan cheese and freshly ground pepper is a hearty, tasty way to start the meal. But the pizza topped with arthichoke hearts, sundried tomatoes, feta cheese and jalapeno peppers, ordered as an appetizer, had a burned crust and was lacking in flavor in spite of all the ingredients.

A chicken breast stuffed with provolone cheese, sundried tomatoes and spinach and resting on a bed of cheese ravioli was a special of the day and was flavorful and filling. Equally good was the lasagna, rich layers of pasta and ricotta cheese covered with a hearty marinara sauce.

Turbot, lightly sauteed and served with Tuscan beans, zucchini and yellow squash, was a tasty alternative to pasta, and perhaps we would have been wise to stop there. However, we also ordered linguini with prosciutto, which definitely didn't pass muster. The tiny, chopped-up bits of prosciutto were tough and tasteless, and the linguini was barely lukewarm. Adding insult to injury, there was no hint of the four cheeses (asiago, fontinella, parmesan and romano) that were supposed to complete the dish.

Rather than end our meal with dessert, we opted to adjourn to the well-stocked bar and round things off with a very nice glass of sambuca.

It's a pleasure to see downtown Wheaton getting restaurants that are worth spending time in. And, come summer, this location will lend itself to a very nice outdoor dining spot. Let's just raise the quality a notch.

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La Mia Dolce

(two forks)

112 N. Hale St., Wheaton

630-588-9670

Open: Dinner Mon.-Sun.

Lunch Mon.-Fri.

Entree prices: $8.95-$16.95

Credit cards: A, M, V, DC, DS

Reservations: No

Other: Wheelchair accessible

Ratings key: 4 forks: Don't miss it

3 forks: One of the best

2 forks: Very good

1 fork: Good

Reviews are on based on an anonymous visit by a Tribune staff member. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.